2 Chronicles 28

Ahaz Succeeds Jotham in Judah

11Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for sixteen years. 2He did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord as his father David had done. 23But he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel; he also 4made cast metal images for the Baals. 3Furthermore, 5he burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, and 6burned his sons in fire, 7according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from the sons of Israel. 4He sacrificed and 8burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

Judah Is Invaded

5Therefore 9the Lord his God handed him over to the king of Aram; and they 10defeated him and carried from him a great number of captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also handed over to the king of Israel, who struck him with heavy casualties. 6For 11Pekah the son of Remaliah killed 120,000 in Judah in one day, all valiant men, because they had abandoned the Lord God of their fathers. 7And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam the ruler of the house, and Elkanah the second to the king.

812The sons of Israel led away captive two hundred thousand of 13their relatives, women, sons, and daughters; and they also 14took a great deal of spoils from them, and brought the spoils to Samaria. 9But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded; and 15he went out to meet the army which came to Samaria and said to them, “Behold, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, 16was angry with Judah, He has handed them over to you, and you have killed them in a rage 17which has even reached heaven. 10Now you are proposing to 18subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem as male and female slaves for yourselves. Are you not, however guilty yourselves of offenses against the Lord your God? 11Now then, listen to me and return the captives 19whom you captured from your brothers, 20for the burning anger of the Lord is against you.” 12Then some of the leading men of the sons of Ephraim--Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai--rose up against those who were coming from the battle, 13and said to them, “You must not bring the captives in here, for you are proposing to bring guilt upon us before the Lord, adding to our sins and our guilt; for our guilt is great, and His burning anger is against Israel.” 14So the armed men left the captives and the spoils before the officers and all the assembly. 15Then 21the men who were designated by name got up, took the captives, and they clothed all their naked people from the spoils; they gave them clothes and sandals, fed them and 22gave them drink, anointed them with oil, led all their feeble ones on donkeys, and brought them to Jericho, 23the city of palm trees, to their brothers; then they returned to Samaria.

Compromise with Assyria

1624At that time King Ahaz sent word to the 25kings of Assyria for help. 1726For the Edomites had come again and attacked Judah, and led away captives. 1827The Philistines had also invaded the cities of the 28lowland and of the Negev of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, and Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages; and they had settled there. 19For the Lord had humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of 29Israel, for he had brought about a lack of restraint in Judah and was very unfaithful to the Lord. 20So 30Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him. 2131Although Ahaz took a portion out of the house of the Lord and out of the palace of the king and of the princes, and gave it to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.

22Now during the time of his distress, this same King Ahaz 32became even more unfaithful to the Lord. 2333For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus who had 34defeated him, and said, “35Because the gods of the kings of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them so that they may help me.” But they became the 36downfall of him and all Israel. 24Moreover, when Ahaz gathered together the utensils of the house of God, he 37cut the utensils of the house of God in pieces; and he 38closed the doors of the house of the Lord, and 39made altars for himself in every corner of Jerusalem. 25In every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked the Lord, the God of his fathers, to anger. 2640Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 2741So Ahaz 42lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him to the tombs of the kings of 43Israel; and his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.